Sunday, January 1, 2017, Pinnacles Hike

We always like to attend Ranger programs in the National Parks.  At 7:00 on Saturday evening we met for a program at the Pinnacles National Park's amphitheater.  I thought it seemed a bit late, but the dark made the outdoor slideshow presentation possible.  There was a nice bonfire and only a couple of other folks as we learned about the Condor and the efforts to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.  I'm sure I don't remember the exact numbers, but they were down to about 22 in captivity and now there are more 600 in the wild. Mature Condors have a wingspan of 9 1/2 feet!

There was a program on Sunday morning that I attended where I was introduced to some fine bird watching.  We were a small group - two volunteers, one very knowledgeable camper and myself.  Everyone had their own binoculars which made things a bit easier.  First, we saw the elusive Condor soaring high on a ridge around their favorite roosting tree.  Joyce showed us some sparrow nests tucked into the eaves on the Visitor's Center.  Next up were the Acorn Woodpeckers. I learned they have community nests and I spotted one high in a large Valley Oak.  Along our leisurely walk to the Bacon Ranch, we saw California Quail, Spotted Twohy, Gold crowned Sparrows, Turkey Vultures and Red Shouldered Hawks.

Later we met with Joyce and her friend Cheryl at the Nature Center for a hike up the Bear Gulch Cave Trail to the reservoir.  It was still somewhat damp from the previous day's rain and a little brisk, but perfect hiking weather with a light coat.  I did not count the number of hikers, but it must have been around a dozen or so.  I like there to be enough interest to make the volunteer feel their effort is worthwhile.

We love the color in the rock.  The hundreds of different species of lichen and moss added to the palette.

Below is the entrance to Bear Gulch Cave.  It is a "talus cave" created when boulders formed a roof over a narrow canyon.  The way was a bit cramped in places and you definitely want a flashlight because it was dark!  

After a lot of steps, you exit the cave at a reservoir created by the CCC in the 30's when they built a small dam in the upper part of the canyon. A fellow hiker noted our elevation was over 1,700 feet which meant we had a good reason to feel a little stiffness in our legs climbing 500 feet in just over a mile.

The Manzanita trees are fascinating with their red bark that reminds you more of poured wax than a living tree.

Joani had me photograph the campground full to contrast with next week when everyone is back at work.

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Our next stop was Pinnacles National Park.  The drive was only 152.6 miles (80,827.2 miles total), but it seemed like we traveled to the middle of nowhere.  I did not know any part of California was so remote.  The pavement seemed to narrow each time we turned onto another highway.  The last 30 miles had no shoulder whatsoever and it seemed there was no straight stretch longer than a quarter mile. Luckily, there was very little traffic and most of that drove at a respectably appropriate speed.

Our site was pretty roomy and included 30 amp power (no water or sewer).  It could have used some gravel - it was mostly muddy.  It might not have been worth the standard site fee of $36/night, but with our Senior Pass it was half price and well worth that.  Being in the park makes seeing the sights so much easier.  Don't even think about cell phone coverage or TV broadcast.  Fortunately, the park had WiFi ($10/per device/per length of stay) that was accessible from our site (closest to the Visitor's Center) or the next two weeks might have been just a little too primitive.

Pinnacles had been a National Monument until very recently when it was promoted to National Park status.  It is only about 50 miles from the Pacific Ocean, but I suspect the ocean has little effect on the park. It is desert with an annual rainfall of fewer than 20 inches per year.  The park was pretty crowded and then I realized we were still in the vacation period between Christmas and New Year's.  The mild weather drew campers to the park even though it was pretty soggy.  With a little luck, we hope to see the park's most famous residents, the California Condor sometime in the next two weeks.

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

I tried to make sure I carried a camera along when Sam took me out for walks around the Escapees Park of the Sierras.  Although the pictures below were taken over several different days I thought I could just lump them together for today.

At the top of the hill, the pole barn was the center of attention for the park's volunteers who gathered each morning to divvy up maintenance tasks for the day.

Inside was a nicely provisioned workshop including a large metalworking lathe.

Off to the side, I saw something that looked pretty familiar - I had the exact same model bandsaw in my workshop.  It is now being put to good use in our son's workshop in Georgia.

This was the first tool David bought me after we were married.

The acorn woodpeckers were something else to watch.  They bored holes in anything wood and stuffed acorns in the holes for later.  This telephone pole has obviously been around a few years.

I sat on this bench a few times to enjoy the view and Sam decided that we should sit here every day - who was I to argue - unless it was raining.

Some people make improvements to their site and this was one of my favorites.  I loved the stonework walls all around and the rails and patio spaces.  I was also a bit partial to the owners 1998 American Eagle.  Unfortunately, the owner, Dennis, was out so I did not get to see the improvements he had made inside his coach.

Near the community center, volunteers had installed a very nice cascading pond that provided a nice relaxing place for reflection.

I loved the minimalist carving that turned random driftwood into a flock of ducks.

The restored stagecoach hearkened back to the mid-1800's when the stage line traveled a route adjacent to the park property.

The balanced rock was just uphill from the nice dog park.  I was told they did not discover it on the property until they were clearing the area for fencing around the dog run.

I guess the flowers blooming in December indicate just how mild the weather is in the central California foothills.

Sunday, December 25, 2016, SKP Christmas Dinner

We signed up for the Christmas Dinner with about 150 of our new friends for a fantastic meal in the Park Sierra clubhouse.  

Our table included Wally and Verna and Jean and Lalah who were all founding members of the Park Sierra Escapees Park.  Lalah had an SKP member number in the 800's!  (Our number is just over 120,000.) There was also Andy and Jane and Joani and myself. We were relative newcomers to the RV life at our table.  The collective years of experience at our table made it clear these were people who thoroughly enjoyed the RVing life.

After dinner, there was a call for volunteers to help clean up the kitchen. I washed while Joani dried and we gained an appreciation for just how many pots and pans it took for such an awesome meal for this size crowd.  Sadly, I saw too much of the soup and salad go to waste. I must make sure to bring something for leftovers the next time - I could have had soup and salad for a week.

What a great time - MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!

Wednesday, December 21, 2016, Yosemite NP

When we arrived at Park Sierra we were told the road to Yosemite was closed (I believe it was due to flooding on the Merced River).  Joani checked today and the roads were clear so we headed north to the park.  It was only 40 miles, but very little of it was straight so it took us an hour plus a little longer for a quick breakfast on the way.

As you exit the nearly one-mile long tunnel there is a large viewing area, called Tunnel View, that gave us our first look at the iconic El Capitan and Half Dome.  The rains made Bridal Veil Falls spectacular.

There was a short trail to the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls, but it was icy and we wanted to see everything so chose to save that for another trip. I found the view from the parking lot to be immensely satisfying and a lot less effort.

It seemed almost mandatory to stop every so often to just take in the natural beauty of this park.  I know it looks cold in the picture below, but it was really rather pleasant.

Below was my favorite view capturing both the Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls - breathtaking!

I love the color variation in the granite of El Capitan

Friday, December 16, 2016

After checking into Escapees Park of the Sierras we had a guide show us our site.  Then he had us follow him to make sure we got parked with no problems.  Quite an improvement over the mud we left behind at Woodson Bridge.

Mornings were quite frosty.  Good thing I still had my casino club card to use as an ice scraper.

The park was beautiful and spacious.  If I remember correctly there were more than a hundred acres and only 254 sites.  That left a lot of common area with mature hardwoods and mossy rocks between owners.  Usually, you could only see a handful of neighbors from any given site.

The rains had the creek flowing pretty well keeping us from exploring the "back forty" - forty acres that were left undeveloped.

There were a lot of Manzanita trees getting ready to bloom soon.

We joined a group of about 20 for a potluck dinner.  It happened to be their monthly birthday celebration as well, so we finished our meal with cake.  Since we were visiting we were required to take the microphone and introduce ourselves.  You get to know a lot of people quickly at an SKP dinner.  We found out Robin and Lynne, seated next to us, were on the site next to us - how's that for a coincidence?  Howard, who turned out to be a Georgia Tech alum, brought a 26-year-old Port that he shared with the table.  It was mighty tasty!

Being our first night, I was hesitant to take a lot of pictures of our fellow pot-luckers, but I caught a few of them when I snapped this picture of their tree.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Talk about serendipity, we were scheduled to leave the same day a "planned release" at the dam was due to put our site at Woodson Bridge underwater.  The heavy rains had filled upstream reservoirs and with more rain in the forecast, they had to reduce the lake level.  The river level was just a few feet from reaching the top of the bank as we awoke.  It was not due to cover our site for another couple of hours, so we were not worried about being washed away.

Katie found a video of Woodson Bridge RV Park flooding, captured by cellphone on December 16, 2016, as the Sacramento River reached flood stage midday by Mike's Guide Service.

We probably should have started earlier than we did, but hitting the road in the rain is always a struggle and we had to wait to settle the electricity bill.  It was a long drive - too long for these short days! We traveled 311.4 miles (80,674.6 total) to Park of the Sierras, an Escapee park about 30 miles north of Fresno, CA.  Along the way, we found ourselves only a few seconds behind a two-car collision that probably totaled both vehicles (everyone appeared to be OK).  There was a lot of rain and more traffic than I have seen in quite a while. Finally, with less than 10 miles to go, the freeway was shut down due to another wreck.

That delay meant we lost our daylight and I found myself driving in the dark for the first (and hopefully, last) time. It certainly did not help that it was still pouring rain and we were sharing the winding mountain roads with a lot of traffic.  When we reached the park I was happy to have the spotlight on the roof to pick out signs to find our way in the very dark park.  Since we arrived more than an hour after the office closed we had to dry camp for the night.

It was only 6 o'clock or so, but I did not see a single soul as I gave Sam a quick walk.  I found the huge empty clubhouse and their dog park close-by.  We were all alone in a large paved area, but we were off of the main road.  I had to assume we were parked OK for the night.

Brrrr! - it was cold.  Maybe we should have been further south in mid-December, but as far as I could tell, the cold snap was settled in everywhere except Florida.  Our coach had plenty of furnace capacity and I don't like to complain since I know it could always be worse.  In the morning we will check-in and give the park a proper looking over.